KR20170132867A - Methods and systems for generating cluster-based search results - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for media guidance applications that allow a user to intuitively and efficiently navigate through a large amount of media content on a variety of user devices. Specifically, the media guidance application may provide the user with cluster-based search results. The media guidance application may intelligently select the clusters presented to the user to support the user in navigating available content, and attributes of those clusters.

Description

Methods and systems for generating cluster-based search results

Cross reference to related applications

This application claims priority to and claims the benefit of United States Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 675,290, filed March 31, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference.

In existing systems, users access excessive media content. Even if users access such rich content, users are still limited in the techniques they may use to search for content. Due to the limited techniques available, users may not know that the content they are trying to access is available and, as a result, may fail to access the content. Moreover, advances in mobile technology allow users to access content on devices, which they could not previously do. However, many devices may include smaller screen sizes and specialized user interfaces (e.g., touch screens) that may further limit the search techniques available to the user.

Accordingly, disclosed herein are methods and systems for media guidance applications that allow a user to intuitively and efficiently navigate a large amount of media content on a variety of user devices. Specifically, the media guidance application may provide the user with cluster-based search results. The media guidance application may intelligently select the clusters presented to the user to support the user in navigating available content, and attributes of those clusters. For example, in response to search items (e.g., "John"), the media guidance application determines whether each cluster has a category associated with the search item (e.g., movies that feature actors named " Quot; television shows featuring actors of early names, movies featuring the word "zone " in titles, etc.). Moreover, the size selected for each cluster may vary depending on the particular user device used to access the search results. For example, the media guidance application may determine that search results presented on the mobile device should feature clusters with fewer search results as it makes it more difficult to navigate larger clusters of smaller mobile devices.

In some aspects, the media guidance application may receive alphanumeric character sequences. For example, the media guidance application may receive a plurality of user inputs, each user input corresponding to a particular character in the word. The media guidance application may then determine an electronic device for presenting the received sequence of alphanumeric characters. For example, the media guidance application may determine whether the electronic device is a smartphone, a television, a tablet, and the like.

As each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received, the media guidance application may generate a cluster in the interactive dial for display based on the received sequence of alphanumeric characters, and the first interactive dial includes the media item. For example, the media guidance application may create a scrollable cluster that features one or more media lists corresponding to alphanumeric characters (e.g., letters) in a search item (e.g., the name of the actor). Moreover, the media guidance application may determine the size of the cluster based on the electronic device. For example, the size of the cluster may differ depending on whether the cluster is presented on a smartphone or a television.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate one or more graphics corresponding to the media items in the cluster for display. For example, if the media item corresponds to a particular actor's name, the media guide application may present the actor's image. Similarly, the media guidance application may present other information that may help to identify the content associated with the media item.

In some embodiments, the media guide application may also cross-reference each alphanumeric character of the sequence with previously received alphanumeric characters of the sequence and identify the media item group corresponding to that combination with the database have. For example, as more alphanumeric characters are received, the media guide application may continue to update the cluster, replace the cluster with a new cluster, and / or display other clusters at the same time. The media guidance application may then determine a plurality of clusters between the media items in the media item group. For example, the media guidance application may classify all media items into clusters that may be scrolled individually by the user.

The media guidance application may then rank each of the plurality of clusters based on the number of media items in the group of media items corresponding to that cluster. For example, a first cluster (e.g., corresponding to media items filtering a search item in a title) that may include five media items may include a second cluster (e.g., a cast and / Or < / RTI > media items that feature a search item in the crew). Based on the ranking, the media guidance application may generate a first one of the plurality of clusters in the first interactive dial and a second one of the plurality of clusters in the second interactive dial on the display screen for display have. For example, the media guidance application may be more prominently positioned, sized, and / or graphically highlighted to create a higher ranking cluster in the interactive dial for display.

The systems and / or methods described above may be applied to or may be used with other systems, methods and / or devices, or in accordance with such other systems, methods and / or devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates a specific example of a display screen generated by a media guidance application in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates another specific example of a display screen generated by a media guidance application in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
3 is a block diagram of an exemplary user equipment device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
4 is a block diagram of an exemplary media system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 illustrates a specific example of a plurality of devices that feature clusters of media items according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Figure 6 illustrates a specific example of a user device updating a cluster based on user selections in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Figure 7 illustrates exemplary embodiments of user devices used to select media items in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Figure 8 illustrates an exemplary system form for determining a user's gazing point in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Figure 9 illustrates a representation of a user's brain regions and user associated with monitoring brain activity in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
10 is a flow diagram of exemplary steps for determining the size of a cluster based on an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
11 is a flow diagram of exemplary steps for updating a cluster based on received alphanumeric characters in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; And
Figure 12 is a flow diagram of exemplary steps for creating clusters based on ranking in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for media guidance applications that allow a user to intuitively and efficiently navigate through a large amount of media content on a variety of user devices. Specifically, the media guidance application may provide the user with search results in specialized clusters. For example, in response to search items (e.g., "action"), the media guidance application may determine that each cluster has a category associated with the search item (e.g., movies in the "action" genre, Or the like) that are to be played back. Moreover, the clusters may be specialized based on the user's device, the number of media items in the cluster, the awareness of the cluster, and so on.

For example, the size selected for each cluster may vary depending on the particular user device used to access the search results. For example, to ensure easy navigation, the media guidance application may modify the number of media items in the cluster based on the number of media items that may be easily scrolled on a particular device. In another example, the media guidance application may present one or more clusters based on the ranking associated with the cluster. In such cases, the media guidance application may rank the clusters based on the number of media items in the cluster. In another example, the media guidance application may present one or more clusters based on the awareness of the cluster. In such cases, the media guidance application may rank the clusters based on the frequency with which the media items in the cluster are selected.

As referred to herein, a "media guidance application" or "guidance application" is an application that allows a user to navigate and access media content via an interface. One typical type of media guidance application is an interactive television program guide. Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to as electronic program guides) are, above all, well known guide applications that allow users to navigate and locate among many types of content or media assets. The media guidance application may create graphical user interface screens that allow the user to navigate, locate and select among the content.

The media guidance application and / or any of the instructions for performing any of the embodiments discussed herein may be encoded on the media. Computer readable media includes any media capable of storing data. The computer-readable media may include, but is not limited to, a hard disk, floppy disk, USB drive, DVD, CD, media cards, register memory, processor caches, random access memory Non-volatile and nonvolatile computer memory or storage devices such as random access memory ("RAM"), and the like.

As referred to herein, a "cluster" is a group of media items in which each media item in the group shares a common track. For example, a cluster may include a group of media items that belong to the same genre and that feature a particular actor, and so on. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, a single media item may belong to multiple clusters.

Each cluster may be associated with one or more criteria. For example, the criteria of a cluster may indicate how media items selected for that cluster should be related to alphanumeric input. For example, criteria for clusters may indicate that media items in the cluster should correspond to actors having names corresponding to the received alphanumeric input. In another example, criteria for clusters may indicate that media items in the cluster should correspond to a genre corresponding to the received alphanumeric input.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine criteria for the cluster based on user input. For example, the media guidance application may receive user input indicating that the first cluster should have a first criterion and the second cluster should have a second criterion. In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine criteria for the cluster without receiving user input. For example, the media guidance application can be based on knowledge, information in a user profile, or industry standards (e.g., based on pre-click-stream data, dictionary user facts, ) You can also select criteria for the cluster.

Is a media asset or media content that includes, but is not limited to, media content that refers to or is associated with other media content (e.g., a media list), as referred to herein. For example, the media item may be a media list corresponding to a media asset, a link to additional information, a selectable icon causing the media guide application to perform a function, and the like.

As used herein, the terms "media asset" and "content" refer to electronic consumable user assets, such as television programming, as well as pay-per- Programs (such as in video-on-demand (VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming content, downloadable content, webcasts, etc.), video clips, audio, , Images, rotated images, documents, playlists, websites, articles, books, eBooks, blogs, advertisements, chat sessions, social media, applications, games, and / Other media or multimedia and / or a combination of the same. The guide applications also allow users to navigate and locate in content. As used herein, the term "multimedia" refers to content using at least two different types of content, e.g., text, audio, images, video, or interactive content, . The content may be recorded, played, displayed or accessed by user equipment devices, but may also be part of a live performance.

As used herein, the words "user equipment", "user equipment", "user device", "electronic device", "electronic equipment", "media equipment device", or "media device" An integrated receiver decoder (IRD), a digital storage device, a digital media receiver (DMR), and the like, for handling any device for accessing the described content, such as television, smart TV, set- , A digital media adapter (DMA), a streaming media device, a DVD player, a DVD recorder, a connected DVD, a local media server, a BLU-RAY player, a BLU-RAY recorder, a personal computer Computer, tablet computer, web TV box, personal computer television (PC / TV), PC media server, PC media center, A mobile phone, a portable video player, a portable music player, a portable gaming machine, a smart phone, or any other television, computing, or wireless device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) And / or < / RTI > the same. In some embodiments, the user equipment device may have a front facing screen and a rear facing screen, multiple front screens, or multiple angle screens. In some embodiments, the user equipment device may have a front-facing camera and / or a rear-facing camera. On these user equipment devices, users may navigate and locate among the same content available via television. As a result, media guidance may also be available on these devices. The guidance provided may be for content available only through television, for content available only through one or more of the user equipment devices of the other types of user equipment devices, or for one or more of the television and other types of user equipment devices Or may be for content available through both device devices. The media guidance applications may be provided as online applications (i.e., provided on a web site) or as standalone applications or clients on user equipment devices. The various devices and platforms that may implement the media guidance application are described in further detail below.

One of the functions of the media guide application is to provide media guide data to users. As referred to herein, the phrase "media guidance data" or "guidance data" should be understood to mean data used in operating any data or guidance application related to the content. For example, the announcement data may include program information, guide application settings, user preferences, user profile information, media lists, media related information (e.g., broadcast times, broadcast channels, titles, (E.g., standard definition, high quality, 3D, etc.), advertisement information (e.g., advertisement information, etc.) Information such as text, images, media clips, etc., on-demand information, blogs, websites, and any other type of guide data that helps navigate and locate among the content selections the user desires . ≪ / RTI >

Figures 1-2 illustrate exemplary display screens that may be used to provide media guidance data. The display screens shown in Figures 1-2 may be implemented on any suitable user equipment device or platform. Although the displays of FIGS. 1-2 are illustrated as full-screen displays, they may also be superimposed in whole or in part on the content being displayed. By selecting a selectable option (e.g., a menu option, a list option, an icon, a hyperlink, etc.) provided on the display screen or by pressing a dedicated button (e.g., a GUIDE button) on a remote control or other user input interface or device It may display that it wants to access the content information. In response to the indication of the user, the media guidance application may be in one of several ways, such as by time and channel in the grid, by time, by channel, by source, by content type, , Other categories of programming, movies, sports, news, children, or other categories of programming), or other predefined, user-defined, or other programming criteria.

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary grid of program listing display 100 arranged by time and channel, which also allows access to different types of content in a single display. The display 100 may include a grid 102 having (1) a column of channel / content type identifiers 104 - a respective channel / content type identifier (which is a cell in the column) Identify the channel or content type; And (2) a row of time identifiers 106 - each time identifier (which is a cell in a row) identifies a time block of programming. The grid 102 also includes program lists, such as cells 108 of the program list, where each list provides the title of the program provided on the associated channel and time of the list. With the user input device, the user can select program listings by moving the highlight area 110. Information related to the program list selected by the highlight area 110 may be provided in the program information area 112. [ Area 112 may include, for example, a program title, a program description, a time when the program is available (if available), a program (if available) have.

In addition to providing access to linear programming (e.g., content that is scheduled to be transmitted to a plurality of user equipment devices at a predetermined time and that is provided in accordance with a schedule), the media guidance application may be used for nonlinear programming (e.g., Content that is accessible to the device device and not provided on schedule). Non-linear programming may be based on on-demand content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g., streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored content (e.g., content stored on any user equipment device or other storage device described above) ), Or content from different content sources, including content from other time-independent content. The on-demand content may include movies or any other content provided by a particular content provider (e.g., "The Sopranos" and "HBO On Demand" providing "Curb Your Enthusiasm" . ≪ / RTI > HBO ON DEMAND is a Time Warner Company. And THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are trademarks owned by Home Box Office, I & C. Internet content may include web events, such as chat sessions or webcasts, or streaming content via Internet websites or other Internet access (e.g., FTP) or content available on-demand as downloadable content.

The grid 102 may provide media guidance data for non-linear programming that includes an on-demand list 114, a list of recorded content 116, and an Internet content list 118. A display that combines media guide data for content from different types of content sources is sometimes referred to as a "mixed-media" display. Various permutations of the types of media guidance data that may be displayed differently from the display 100 may be based on user selection or guiding application definitions (e.g., display of only the recorded and broadcast lists, only on-demand and broadcast lists) You may. As illustrated, lists 114, 116, and 118 may indicate that the selection of these lists may provide access to displays that are dedicated to on-demand lists, recorded lists, or Internet listings, respectively Is shown as spanning the entire time block displayed in the grid 102 for display. In some embodiments, the lists for these content types may be included directly in the grid 102. Additional media guidance data may be displayed in response to the user selecting a navigation icon of one of the navigation icons 120. [ (Pressing the arrow keys on the user input device may affect the display in a manner similar to selecting the navigation icons 120.)

The display 100 may also include a video region 122, an advertisement 124, and an optional region 126. The video region 122 may allow the user to view and / or preview programs that are currently available, available, or available to the user. The content of the video region 122 may correspond to, or be independent of, one of the lists displayed in the grid 102. Grid displays, including video regions, sometimes refer to picture-in-guide (PIG) displays. PIG displays and their functions are described in greater detail in U.S. Patent No. 6,564,378 issued to Satterfield et al. On May 13, 2003 and U.S. Patent No. 6,239,794 issued to Yuen et al. On May 29, 2001, All of the documents are incorporated herein by reference. PIG displays may be included in other media guidance application display screens of the embodiments described herein.

Depending on the viewer's access privileges (e.g., for subscription programming), the ad 124 may be used for viewing, presently available for viewing, available for viewing in the future, or may never be available for viewing, And may provide advertisements for content that may correspond to, or may not be associated with, one or more of the content listings in the grid 102. [ The advertisement 124 may be for products or services associated with or unrelated to the content displayed on the grid 102. The ad 124 is selectable and provides future information about the content, providing information about the product or service, enabling the purchase of the content, product, or service, providing content related to the ad, etc. You may. The ad 124 may be targeted based on the user's profile / preferences, monitored user activity, type of display provided, or other suitable targeted ad bases.

Although the ad 124 is shown as a molded rectangle or banner, the ads may be provided at any suitable size, shape, and location in the guide application display. For example, the advertisement 124 may be provided as a rectangular shape horizontally adjacent to the grid 102. This is sometimes referred to as panel advertisement. In addition, the advertisements may be superimposed on the content or guide application display or inserted into the display. Advertisements may also include text, images, rotated images, video clips, or other types of content described herein. The advertisements may be stored in a user equipment device having a guiding application, in a database connected to the user equipment, in a remote location (including streaming media servers), on other storage means, or a combination of these locations. Providing advertisements in a media guidance application is described, for example, in Knudson, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0110499, filed January 17, 2003; U. S. Patent No. 6,756, 997 to Ward, III, issued June 29, 2004; And U.S. Patent No. 6,388,714 to Schein et al., Issued May 14, 2002, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. It will be appreciated that advertisements may be included in other media guidance application display screens of the embodiments described herein.

Option area 126 may allow a user to access different types of content, media guide application displays, and / or media guide application features. Option area 126 may be part of display 100 (and other display screens described herein), or may be provided to the user by selecting an on-screen option or by pressing a dedicated or assignable button on the user input device . ≪ / RTI > Selectable options in the option area 126 may involve features related to program listings in the grid 102 or may include options available from the main menu display. Features related to program lists include searching for other broadcast times or strategies for receiving the program, recording the program, enabling recording of series of programs, setting programs and / or channels as favorites , Ways to purchase the program, or other features. The options available from the main menu display include search options, VOD options, parental protection options, Internet options, cloud-based options, device synchronization options, second screen device options, various types of media guide data displays Options for subscribing to a premium service, options for editing a user's profile, options for accessing a browse overlay, or other options.

The media guidance application may be personalized based on user preferences. The personalized media guide application allows the user to customize the displays and features to create a personalized "experience" with the media guide application. This personalized experience may be generated by a media guidance application that monitors the user interest activity by allowing the user to enter these customizations and / or to determine various user preferences. Users may access their personalized guide application by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to the guide application. The customization of the media guidance application may be made according to the user profile. The customizations may include various presentation schemes (e.g., color schemes of displays, font size of text, etc.), aspects of displayed content listings (e.g., HDTV alone or 3D exclusive programming, user specific broadcast based on favorite channel selections (E.g., re-ordering the display of channels, channels, recommended content, etc.), desired recording characteristics (e.g., recording or series of recordings for specific users, recording quality, etc.), parental protection settings, Personalized presentations (e.g., presentations of social media content, emails, electronically delivered articles, etc.), and other desired customizations.

The media guidance application may allow the user to provide user profile information or may automatically compile user profile information. The media guidance application may, for example, monitor the content that the user is accessing and / or other interactions that the user may have with the guide application. In addition, the media guidance application may include all or part of other user profiles associated with a particular user (e.g., from other web sites on the Internet that the user has access to, such as from www.allrovi.com, From other interactive user applications, from other user equipment devices of the user, etc.), and / or from other sources that the media guidance application may access. As a result, the user can be provided with a unified guide application experience across different user equipment devices of the user. This type of user experience is described in more detail below with respect to FIG. Additional personalized media guidance application features are disclosed in U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0251827 to Ellis et al., Filed July 11, 2005, U.S. Patent Nos. 7,165,098 to Boyer et al., Issued January 16, 2007, and 2002 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0174430 to Ellis et al., Filed February 21, 2005, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Another display arrangement providing media guidance is shown in Fig. Video mosaic display 200 includes selectable options 202 for content information organized based on content type, genre, and / or other programming criteria. In display 200, a television list option 204 is selected, thus providing lists 206, 208, 210, and 212 as broadcast program listings. In the display 200, the lists may include other types of content displayed by the user, such as cover art, still images from the content, video clip previews, live video from the content, To provide graphical images. Each of the graphical lists may also be accompanied by text that provides additional information regarding the content associated with the list. For example, list 208 may include more than one portion, including media portion 214 and text portion 216. [ The media portion 214 and / or the text portion 216 may be used to view content in a full-screen or to view information related to the content displayed in the media portion 214 (e.g., For example).

The lists in the display 200 are of different sizes (i.e., the list 206 is larger than the lists 208, 210, and 212), but all the lists may be the same size if desired. The lists may be of different sizes or graphics emphasized by the content provider as desired or to indicate the degree of interest to the user based on user preferences or to emphasize particular content. Various systems and methods for graphically highlighting content lists are discussed, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0153885, filed on December 29, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety Are incorporated herein by reference.

Users may access content and media guidance applications (and their display screens described above and below) from one or more of the user equipment devices of their user equipment devices. FIG. 3 illustrates a generalized embodiment of an exemplary user equipment device 300. FIG. More specific implementations of user equipment devices are discussed below in connection with FIG. The user equipment device 300 may receive content and data via an input / output ("I / O") path 302. The I / O path 302 may be used to store content (e.g., broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, content available on a local area network (LAN) or wide area network To the control circuitry 304 including the processing circuitry 306 and the storage 308. [ The control circuitry 304 may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using the I / O path 302. The I / O path 302 may connect the control circuitry 304 (and specifically the processing circuitry 306) to one or more communications paths (described below). The I / O functions may be provided by one or more of the communication paths of these communication paths, but are illustrated as a single path in FIG. 3 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

The control circuitry 304 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry, such as the processing circuitry 306. As mentioned herein, the processing circuitry may include one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) (E.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of processors) Cores) or a supercomputer. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may include a plurality of separate processors or processing units, e.g., a plurality of the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or a number of different processors For example, an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 executes instructions for a media guidance application stored in memory (i.e., storage 308). In particular, the control circuitry 304 may be indicated by a media guidance application to perform the functions discussed above and below. For example, the media guidance application may provide control circuitry 304 with instructions for generating media guidance displays. In some implementations, any action performed by control circuitry 304 may be based on commands received from the media guidance application.

In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry 304 may include communication circuitry suitable for communicating with a pilot application server or other networks or servers. The instructions for performing the above-mentioned functions may be stored in the guiding application server. The communication circuitry may be a wireless modem for communicating with a cable modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, an Ethernet card, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > communication circuitry. ≪ / RTI > Such communications may involve the Internet or any other suitable communication networks or paths (which are described in more detail with respect to FIG. 4). In addition, the communications circuitry may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communications of user equipment devices (described in more detail below), or communication of user equipment devices at remote locations from each other.

The memory may be an electronic storage device provided as a storage 308 that is part of the control circuitry 304. As used herein, the phrase "electronic storage device" or "storage device" refers to any device that stores electronic data, computer software, or firmware, such as random-access memory, Optical disc drives, optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact disc (CD) recorders, Blu-ray disc (BD) recorders, BLU- Gaming consoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage devices, and / or any of the same (i. E., A DVR, sometimes a personal video recorder, or PVR), solid state devices, ≪ / RTI > The storage 308 may be used to store the media guidance data described above as well as the various types of content described herein. Non-volatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch boot-up routines and other instructions). The cloud-based storage described with respect to FIG. 4 may be used to supplement storage 308 or instead of storage 308.

The control circuitry 304 may include video generation circuitry and tuning circuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2 decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high definition tuners, or any other suitable tuning or video circuits, Or combinations thereof. Encoding circuitry (e.g., to convert over-the-air (OTA), analog, or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided. The control circuitry 304 may also include a scaler circuitry for upconverting and downconverting the content to a desired output format of the user equipment 300. [ The circuitry 304 may also include digital-to-analog converter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry for converting digital and analog signals. The tuning and encoding circuitry may be used by a user equipment device to receive, display, play, or record content. The tuning and encoding circuitry may also be used to receive the guidance data. For example, the circuitry described herein, including tuning, video generation, encoding, decoding, encryption, decryption, scaler, and analog / digital circuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or more general purpose or specialized processors . Multiple tuners may be provided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., viewing and recording functions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multi-tuner recording, etc.). If the storage 308 is provided as a separate device from the user equipment 300, the tuning and encoding circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated with the storage 308.

A user may send commands to the control circuitry 304 using the user input interface 310. [ User input interface 310 may be any suitable user interface such as a remote control, a mouse, a trackball, a keypad, a keyboard, a touch screen, a touch pad, a stylus input, a joystick, a voice recognition interface, or other user input interfaces. The display 312 may be provided as a stand-alone device or may be integrated with other elements of the user equipment device 300. For example, the display 312 may be a touch screen or a touch-sensitive display. In such situations, the user input interface 312 may be integrated with or coupled to the display 312. The display 312 may be a display, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for a mobile device, an amorphous silicon display, a low temperature polysilicon display, an electronic ink display, an electrophoretic display, an active matrix display, A cathode-ray tube display, a light-emitting diode display, an electroluminescent display, a plasma display panel, a high performance addressing display, a thin film transistor display, an organic light emitting diode display, a surface-conduction electron- A television, carbon nanotubes, a quantum dot display, an interferometric modulator display, or any other suitable equipment for displaying visual images. In some embodiments, the display 312 may be HDTV-capable. In some embodiments, the display 312 may be a 3D display, and the interactive media guidance application and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. A video card or graphics card may generate an output on the display 312. The video card may provide various functions such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2 MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors. The video card may be any of the processing circuitry described above with respect to control circuitry 304. The video card may be integrated with the control circuitry 304. The speakers 314 may be provided as being integrated with other elements of the user equipment device 300 or may be stand-alone units. The video components displayed on the display 312 and the audio components of other content may be played through the speakers 314. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to a receiver (not shown) that processes and outputs audio through the speakers 314.

The guidance application may be implemented using any suitable architecture. For example, it may be a standalone application that is entirely implemented on the user equipment device 300. In this approach, the instructions of the application are stored locally (e.g., in storage 308) and data for use by the application (e.g., from an out-of-band feed, from an Internet resource, Downloaded on a periodic basis. Control circuitry 304 may retrieve the instructions of the application from storage 308 and process the instructions to produce any of the displays discussed herein. Based on the processed instructions, the control circuitry 304 may determine what action to perform when an input is received from the input interface 310. For example, when the input interface 310 indicates that an up / down button has been selected, the movement of the cursor on the display of the up / down may be indicated by the processed instructions.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is a client-server based application. Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented on the user equipment device 300 is retrieved on demand by issuing requests to the server remote to the user equipment device 300. [ In one example of a client-server based guide application, the control circuitry 304 executes a web browser that interprets the web pages provided by the remote server. For example, a remote server may store instructions for an application on a storage device. The remote server may use the circuitry (e. G., Control circuitry 304) to process the stored instructions and generate the displays discussed above and below. The client device may receive the displays generated by the remote server and display the contents of the displays locally on the equipment device 300. [ In this way, the processing of the instructions is performed remotely by the server, so that the resulting displays are locally provided on the equipment device 300. Equipment device 300 may receive inputs from a user via input interface 310 and transmit those inputs to a remote server for processing and generating corresponding displays. For example, the device device 300 may send a communication signal to the remote server indicating that an up / down button has been selected via the input interface 310. [ The remote server may process instructions based on its input and generate a display of the application corresponding to the input (e.g., a display that moves the cursor up / down). The generated display is then transmitted to the equipment device 300 for presentation to the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is downloaded and interpreted or otherwise executed by an interpreter or virtual machine (executed by control circuitry 304). In some embodiments, the guide application is encoded in EBIT (ETV Binary Interchange Format), received as part of a suitable feed by control circuitry 304, and interpreted by a user agent executing on control circuitry 304 It is possible. For example, the guidance application may be an EBIF application. In some embodiments, the guiding application may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files that are received and executed by a local virtual machine or other suitable middleware that is executed by control circuitry 304. In some of these embodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital media encoding schemes), the guide application may encode, for example, in the MPEG-2 object carousel using MPEG audio and video packets of the program And transmitted.

The user equipment device 300 of Figure 3 may be implemented in the system 400 of Figure 4 as user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, wireless user communication device 406, or any other type User equipment, such as a non-portable gaming machine. For simplicity, these devices may be collectively referred to herein as user equipment or user equipment devices, and may be substantially similar to the user equipment devices described above. User equipment devices on which the media guidance application may be implemented may function as a standalone device or may be part of a network of devices. Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and discussed in more detail below.

A user equipment device that utilizes at least some of the system features described above in connection with Fig. 3 may not be classified as user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, or wireless user communication device 406. [ For example, user television equipment 402 may be Internet-enabled, such as some user computer equipment 404, to allow access to Internet content, while user computer equipment 404 may access some television equipment 402, which includes a tuner that allows access to television programming. The media guidance application may have the same layout on a variety of different types of user equipment, or it may be tailored to the display capabilities of the user equipment. For example, on user computer equipment 404, the guiding application may be provided as a website accessed by a web browser. In another example, the guidance application may be scaled down for wireless user communication devices 406. [

In system 400, there are typically more than one type of user equipment device of each type, but only one of each is shown schematically in Figure 4 to avoid over-complicating the drawing. In addition, each user may utilize more than one type of user equipment device and also more than one type of each user equipment device.

In some embodiments, a user equipment device (e.g., user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, wireless user communications device 406) may be referred to as a " For example, the second screen device may supplement the content presented on the first user equipment device. The content presented on the second screen device may be any suitable content that supplements the content presented on the first device. In some embodiments, the second screen device provides an interface for adjusting settings and display preferences of the first device. In some embodiments, the second screen device is configured to interact with other second screen devices or to interact with the social network. The second screen device may be located in the same room as the first device but in a different room than the first device but in the same house or building or in a building different from the first device.

The user may also set various settings to maintain consistent media guide application settings throughout the home-in-devices and remote devices. The settings include those described herein, as well as channel and program favorites, programming preferences the guide application uses to make programming recommendations, display preferences, and other desirable guidance settings. For example, if a user sets, as a favorite, a channel on his or her personal computer at www.allrovi.com in his office, for example, in his office, the same channel may be associated with the user's home- And user computer equipment) as well as a favorite on the user ' s mobile devices if desired. Changes made on one user equipment device can therefore change the guiding experience on other user equipment devices regardless of whether they are the same type of user equipment device or different types of user equipment devices. In addition, the changes made may be based not only on the settings entered by the user, but also on the user activity being monitored by the guide application.

The user equipment devices may be coupled to the communication network 414. That is, user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, and wireless user communications device 406 are coupled to communication network 414 via communication paths 408, 410, and 412, respectively. The communication network 414 may be one or more networks including a combination of the Internet, a mobile phone network, a mobile voice or data network (e.g., 4G or LTE network), a cable network, a public telephone network, It is possible. The paths 408,410 and 412 may comprise one or more communications paths such as a satellite path, a fiber optic path, a cable path, a path that supports Internet communications (e.g., IPTV), free space connections Cast or other wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communications path, or a combination of such paths, either separately or together. The path 412 is drawn in dotted lines to indicate that it is a radio path in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4 and the paths 408 and 410 are drawn (although they may be wireless paths if desired) It is drawn as solid lines to indicate the paths. Communications with user equipment devices may be provided by one or more of the communication paths of these communication paths, but are illustrated as a single path in Fig. 4 to avoid over-complicating the drawing.

Although communication paths are not drawn between user equipment devices, they are not limited to those described above with respect to communication paths, such as paths 408, 410, and 412, as well as other short distance point to point communication paths Such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wireless paths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-1 lx, etc.), or other short distance communications via wired or wireless paths. Bluetooth is a certification mark owned by Bluetooth SE, IE. The user equipment devices may also communicate with each other directly via an indirect path via the communication network 414. [

The system 400 includes a content source 416 and a media guidance data source 418 coupled to the communications network 414 via communication paths 420 and 422, respectively. Paths 420 and 422 may include any of the communication paths described above with respect to paths 408, 410, and 412. Communications with content source 416 and media guidance data source 418 may be exchanged over one or more communication paths, but are shown as a single path in Fig. 4 to avoid over-complicating the figure. In addition, there may be more than one respective content source 416 and media guidance data source 418, but only one of each is shown in FIG. 4 to avoid over-complicating the view. (The different types of each of these sources are discussed below.) If desired, the content source 416 and the media guidance data source 418 may be combined as a single source device. Although communications between user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 and sources 416 and 418 are shown through communication network 414, in some embodiments, 404, and 406 via communication paths (not shown) such as those described above in connection with the devices 408, 410, and 412.

The content source 416 may include a television distribution facility, a cable system headend, a satellite distribution facility, programming sources (e.g., television broadcasters such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediate distribution facilities and / , On-demand media servers, and other content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by National Broadcasting Company I & C., ABC is a trademark owned by American Broadcasting Company I & C., And HBO is a trademark owned by Home Box Office, I & C. Content source 416 may be the source of the content (e.g., a television broadcaster, webcast provider, etc.) or may not be the source of the content (e.g., on-demand content provider, content of broadcast programs for downloading) Internet providers, etc.). Content source 416 may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers, Internet providers, over-the-top content providers, or other providers of content. The content source 416 may also include a remote media server that is used to store different types of content (including video content selected by the user) at a location remote from any of the user equipment devices of the user equipment devices have. Systems and methods for remote storage of content and for providing remotely stored content to user equipment are discussed in more detail with respect to U. S. Patent No. 7,761, 892, issued Jul. 20, 2010 to Ellis et al. This document is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The media guidance data source 418 may provide media guidance data, such as the media guidance data described above. The media guidance data may be provided to the user equipment devices using any suitable approach. In some embodiments, the guide application may be a standalone interactive television program guide that receives program guide data via a data feed (e.g., a continuous feed or a trickle feed). Program schedule data and other guidance data may be provided to user equipment on the television channel sideband using in-band digital signals, using out-of-band digital signals, or any other suitable data transmission technique. Program schedule data and other media guidance data may be provided to the user equipment on multiple analog or digital television channels.

In some embodiments, the announcement data from the media announcement data source 418 may be provided to users' equipment using a client-server approach. For example, the user equipment device may pull media guide data from the server, or the server may push the media guide data to the user equipment device. In some embodiments, when a guiding application client residing on a user's equipment is needed, e.g., when the guiding data expires, or when the user equipment device receives a request from a user to receive data, And may initiate sessions with source 418 to do so. The media guidance may be provided to the user equipment at any suitable frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, user specified time period, system specific time period, in response to a request from the user equipment, etc.). The media guidance data source 418 may provide the user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 with software updates for the media guidance application itself or the media guidance application.

In some embodiments, the media guidance data may include viewer data. For example, the viewer data may include information about current and / or historical user activity information (e.g., whether the user typically watches wireless content, at what times of the day the user views the content, whether the user interacts with the social network (Eg, pay TV or free TV), mood, brain activity information, etc.) at which times the user interacts with the social network to post information, what type of content the user typically watches . The media guidance data may also include subscription data. For example, the subscription data may include information about which sources or subscriptions a user has subscribed to services and / or if a given user to some sources or services has previously subscribed but later terminated access (e.g., Whether or not the user has subscribed, whether the user has added premium level services, and whether the user has increased the Internet speed). In some embodiments, spectator data and / or subscription data may identify patterns of a given user for a period of time greater than one year. The media guidance data may include a model (e.g., a survivor model) that is used to generate a score indicating a given user ending access to the service / source. For example, the media guidance application may use the model to process the viewer data with the subscription data to generate a value or score indicating the communicative whether or not a given user has terminated access to a particular service or source have. In particular, a higher score may indicate a higher level of confidence that the user will terminate access to a particular service or source. Based on that score, the media guidance application may generate promotions and advertisements that attract the user to keep the particular service or source displayed by the score as likely as the user is likely to terminate the access.

The media guidance application may be, for example, standalone applications implemented on user equipment devices. For example, the media guidance application may be implemented as a set of software or executable instructions that may be stored on the storage 308 and executed by the control circuitry 304 of the user equipment device 300. In some embodiments, the media guidance application may be client-server applications where only the client application resides on the user equipment device, and the server application resides on the remote server. For example, the media guidance application may be implemented as a client application on the control circuitry 304 of the user equipment device 300, and in part and on a remote server, a server application (e.g., a media guidance data source 418). ≪ / RTI > When executed by the control circuitry (e.g., media guidance data source 418) of the remote server, the media guidance application may instruct the control circuitry to generate the guiding application displays and transmit the generated displays to the user equipment devices. The server application may instruct the control circuitry of the media guidance data source 418 to transmit data for storage on the user equipment. The client application may instruct the control circuitry that accommodates the user equipment to generate the guiding application displays.

The content and / or media guidance data delivered to user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 may be over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT content delivery may be achieved by Internet enabled user devices including any of the user equipment devices described above receiving content transmitted over the Internet, including any content described above, in addition to content received via cable or satellite connections . OTT content is delivered over an Internet connection provided by an Internet service provider (ISP), but a third party distributes the content. The ISP may not be responsible for viewing abilities, copyrights, or distribution of content, and may only transmit IP packets provided by an OTT content provider. Examples of OTT content providers include YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu, which provide audio and video over IP packets. YouTube is a trademark owned by Google I & C Inc., Netflix is a trademark owned by Netflix I & C, and Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu and EL. OTT content providers may additionally or alternatively provide the media guidance data described above. In addition to content and / or media guidance data, the providers of the OTT content may distribute a media guidance application (e.g., web-based applications or cloud-based applications), or the content may include media guidance applications Lt; / RTI >

The media guidance system 400 is intended to illustrate a number of approaches, or network configurations, that enable user equipment devices and sources of content and guide data to communicate with each other for purposes of accessing content and providing media guidance. The embodiments described herein may be applied in any one or a subset of these approaches, or in a system employing other approaches for delivering content and providing media guidance. The following four approaches provide specific examples of the generalized example of FIG.

In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each other within a home network. The user equipment devices may communicate with each other directly over the short-range point-to-point communication schemes described above, indirectly through the hub or other similar device provided on the home network, or via the communication network 414. Each of the plurality of individuals in a single home may also operate different user equipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may be desirable for various media guidance information or settings to be communicated between different user equipment devices. For example, if users are to maintain consistent media guide application settings on different user equipment devices in the home network, as described in more detail in U. S. Patent Application No. 11 / 179,410, Ellis et al, May be desirable. Different types of user equipment devices in the home network may also communicate with each other to transmit content. For example, a user may transmit content from a user's computer equipment to a portable video player or a portable music player.

In a second approach, users may have multiple types of user equipment that allow them to access content and obtain media guidance. For example, some users may have home networks that are accessed by in-home and mobile devices. Users may control the in-home devices through the media guidance application implemented on the remote device. For example, users may access online media guide applications on a web site via a personal computer in their office, or via a mobile device such as a PDA or web enabled mobile phone. A user may set various settings (e.g., recordings, reminders, or other settings) on an online guidance application to control the user's home-equipment. An online guide may control the user's equipment either directly or by communicating with the media guide application on the user's home-device. Various systems and methods for the communication of user equipment devices in locations where user equipment devices are remote from each other are discussed, for example, in U. S. Patent No. 8,046, 801 issued to Ellis et al. On Oct. 25, 2011, This document is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In a third approach, users of user equipment devices inside and outside the home may communicate directly with the content source 416 to access the content using their media guidance application. Specifically, within the home, users of user television equipment 402 and user computer equipment 404 may access the media guidance application to navigate and locate among the desired content. Users may also access the media guidance application outside the home using wireless user communication devices 406 to navigate and locate among the desired content.

In a fourth approach, user equipment devices may operate in a cloud computing environment to access cloud services. In a cloud computing environment, various types of computing services (e.g., video sharing sites or social networking sites) for sharing, storing or distributing content are referred to as a " cloud " Lt; / RTI > For example, the cloud may be located in a centralized or distributed location that provides cloud-based services to various types of users and devices that are connected through a network, such as the Internet, A collection of computing devices. These cloud resources may include one or more content sources 416 and one or more media guidance data sources 418. Additionally or alternatively, remote computing sites may include other user equipment devices, such as user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, and wireless user communications device 406. For example, other user equipment devices may provide access to video or a stored copy of the streamed video. In such embodiments, user equipment devices may operate in a peer-to-peer fashion without communicating with a central server.

The cloud provides access to services such as content storage, content sharing, or social networking services, as well as any content described above, for user equipment devices, among other things. Services may be provided in the cloud through cloud computing service providers or through other providers of online services. For example, cloud-based services may include content storage services, content sharing sites, social networking sites, or other services that allow user sourcing content to be distributed for viewing by others on connected devices. These cloud-based services may allow the user equipment device to store content in the cloud, and receive content from the cloud rather than locally storing the content and accessing the local storage content.

The user may use various content capture devices, such as camcorders, digital cameras with video mode, audio recorders, mobile phones, and handheld computing devices, for recording content. A user may upload content to a content storage service on the cloud, for example from a user computer device 404 or a wireless user communication device 406 having content capture features. Alternatively, the user may first transmit the content to the user equipment device, such as the user computer equipment 404. The user equipment device storing the content uploads the content to the cloud using a data transmission service on the communication network 414. [ In some embodiments, the user equipment device itself is a cloud resource, and other user equipment devices can access the content directly from the user equipment device where the user has stored the content.

The cloud resources may be accessed by a user equipment device using any combination of access applications, e.g., a web browser, a media guidance application, a desktop application, a mobile application, and / or the like. The user equipment device may be a cloud client that relies on cloud computing for application delivery, or a user equipment device may have some functionality without access to cloud resources. For example, some applications running on a user equipment device may be cloud applications, i.e., applications delivered as services over the Internet, while other applications may be stored and executed on the user equipment device. In some embodiments, the user device may simultaneously receive content from multiple cloud resources. For example, a user device may download content from a second cloud resource while streaming audio from one cloud resource. Or the user device may download content from multiple cloud resources for more efficient downloading. In some embodiments, the user equipment devices may use cloud resources for processing operations, such as those performed by the processing circuitry described with respect to FIG.

Figure 5 illustrates a specific example of a plurality of devices that feature clusters of media items according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In Fig. 5, a user device 500 and a user device 516 are shown. For example, the user device 500 is a set-top box that is currently generating a plurality of cluster-based search results on the display screen 502 for display. For example, a user may enter alphanumeric characters "t", "o", and "m" (eg, corresponding to word / name "Tom") into search field 504 (Fig. 3)), the media guidance application is generating clusters 506, 512, and 514 for display. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, clusters 506, 512, and 514 are currently displayed in a series of interactive dials.

For example, each of the interactive dials corresponding to clusters 506, 512, and 514 may be scrolled in response to one or more user inputs (e.g., received via user input interface 310 (FIG. 3) It is possible. For example, each cluster (e.g., cluster 506, 512, and 514) may include a plurality of media items (e.g., media items 508). In order for a user to navigate between both different clusters and different media items in the cluster, the media guidance application may receive user inputs from the user. In some embodiments, these inputs may include a user input interface (e.g., user input interface 310 (Figure 3) and / or an eye contact detection component (e.g., as discussed with respect to Figure 8) For example, as discussed with respect to FIG. 9).

In response to alphanumeric characters entered in the search field 504, the media guide application has determined a group of media items (e.g., actors, movies, etc.) corresponding to the word "Tom" For example, the media guidance application may include a database 308 (e.g., located at any location accessible through storage 308 (FIG. 3) and / or communication network 414 (FIG. 4)) that enumerates all available media items May be cross-referenced. The media guidance application may filter the available media items (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) based on whether the media items correspond to the word "Tom". If so, the media guidance application determines one or more additional characteristics (e.g., genre, actor, etc.) about each of the media items corresponding to the word "Tom ". The media guidance application may then select one or more clusters (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) for each of the media items corresponding to the word "Tom". For example, cluster 506 may correspond to actors named "Tom ". Cluster 512 may correspond to movies featuring actors named "Tom ". Cluster 514 may correspond to a person associated with a person named "Tom ".

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may intelligently select the clusters presented to the user to support the user in navigating available content, and the attributes of those clusters. For example, clusters 506, 512, and 514 may represent the most popular clusters (e.g., based on click-stream data, user surveys, dictionary user search history, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, clusters 506, 512, and 514 may represent clusters that feature a maximum number of media items. For example, within a group of media items corresponding to the word "Tom ", the maximum number of media items in the group may be in a cluster of media items corresponding to actors named" Tom ".

In cluster 506, media item 508 is currently selected. In response to the selection of the media item 508, a media guidance application may have been generated from the concurrent display cluster 512 and / or 514. Additionally or alternatively, the media items presented in the clusters 512 and 514 may have been changed in response to the selection of the media item 508.

The media guide application also generates image 510 for display. For example, image 510 may correspond to media item 508. In response to a user selection of the media item 508, the media guidance application may generate the image 510 for display. In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate multiple images and / or other content associated with the media item for display. Moreover, the media guidance application may organize this content near the media item in the cluster so that the user may identify a media item associated with the content. For example, the media guidance application may generate an image for each media item in cluster 506 for display.

In some embodiments, the size selected for each cluster may vary depending on the particular user device used to access the search results. For example, the media guidance application may determine that search results presented on the mobile device should feature clusters with fewer search results as it makes it more difficult to navigate larger clusters of smaller mobile devices. Thus, the media guidance application may select clusters that feature fewer media items rather than clusters that feature more media items. For example, clusters may be more closely tailored and may correspond to characteristics associated with fewer media items. Alternatively, in order to reduce the size of the cluster, the media guidance application may remove one or more media items from the cluster. For example, if ten actors correspond to the word "Tom ", the media guidance application may remove five of their actors to reduce the size of the cluster.

For example, the cluster 506 may correspond to actors corresponding to the word "Tom ". Similarly, cluster 520 on user device 516 may correspond to actors corresponding to the name "Tom ". However, since the user device 500 is associated with a larger display screen (e.g., the display screen 502) or with a user input interface that is different from the user device 516, And may include fewer media items.

In some embodiments, cluster 520 may represent a shortened version of cluster 506. For example, the user device 500 may provide more clusters (e.g., three) than the user device 516 (e.g., two), despite receiving the same alphanumeric characters and subsequent user inputs It is possible. For example, the media guidance application may generate clusters 512 and 514 for display in response to a user selection of media item 508 on user device 500, but the media guidance application may respond to the same inputs To generate only the cluster 518 on the user device 516 for display.

In some embodiments, user device 500 and user device 516 may be used in a concert. For example, the media guidance application may be configured to receive commands from both user devices 500 and 516. Moreover, the commands received at user device 500 and / or user device 516 may affect content presented via user device 500 and / or user device 516. For example, the selection of media items in cluster 520 may affect clusters that are displayed simultaneously on the display screen 502.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may select which media items to remove based on the perceived degree of media items, a number of characteristics associated with a particular media item that meet or do not meet cluster criteria, and the like. In some embodiments, the media guidance application may provide the user with an option to access the removed media items. For example, after scrolling the interactive dial, the user may be presented with options to access removed media items or clusters to be populated with removed media items.

Figure 6 illustrates a specific example of a user device updating a cluster based on user selections in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the user devices 600, 630, 660, and 690 may indicate to the user device that the clusters and media items in each cluster are the same as when modified and updated in response to a series of user inputs.

The user device 600 may be configured to receive the alphanumeric character sequence (e.g., " c ", "r ", " u "," i ", "s ", and" e ") in the search field 602, And two clusters (e.g., cluster 604 and cluster 606) that are created for display by the guidance application. For example, the media guidance application may be stored in a database (e.g., located at any location accessible through storage 308 (FIG. 3) and / or communication network 414 (FIG. 4) Access. In response to user inputs, the media guidance application may filter the available media items (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) based on whether the available media items correspond to user inputs. For example, in response to receiving an alphanumeric character sequence spelled "Cruise ", the media guidance application may generate a cluster 604 corresponding to actors and foxes named" Cruise " have. In addition, the media guidance application has created a cluster 606 corresponding to the movies in which "Tom Cruise" is seen for display.

For example, the criteria for cluster 604 may be media items (e.g., lists) corresponding to actors or foxes named "Cruise. &Quot; The criteria for cluster 606 may be media items (e.g., lists) corresponding to movies featuring "Tom Cruise. &Quot; In some embodiments, the criteria for cluster 604 and cluster 606 (e.g., how each cluster should be associated with alphanumeric input) may be selected by the media guidance application. For example, the media guidance application may select the most popular clusters (e.g., based on click-stream data, user surveys, dictionary user search history, etc.).

In some embodiments, the criteria for the cluster 606 may vary depending on the media item selected in the cluster 604. For example, a media item corresponding to "Tom Cruise" in cluster 604 is currently selected. In response, the media guidance application may present the movies featuring "Tom Cruise" in cluster 606. Furthermore, user interaction in the cluster 604 (e.g., scrolling of media items) may cause the media guidance application to update and / or modify media items in the cluster 606. For example, a user selection of "Penelope Cruise " in cluster 604 may cause the media guide application to create movies for the display that feature" Penelope Cruise " in cluster 606 for display.

User device 630 may respond to clusters created for display after the user enters additional alphanumeric characters in search field 632 (e.g., as compared to alphanumeric characters entered in search field 602) Clusters 634 and 636 are shown. For example, in response to receiving an additional "s" alphanumeric character, the alphanumeric characters in the search field 632 are combined with "c," i "," s "," e ", and" s ". Based on the additional alphanumeric characters, the media guidance application modified the media items in the displayed clusters and / or the displayed clusters.

For example, the criteria for cluster 634 may now include movies relating to cruises, while the criteria for cluster 636 may include advertisements and / or purchase opportunities associated with cruises. For example, the criteria for cluster 634 and cluster 636 may include the context of alphanumeric characters received in search field 632 (e.g., available media items corresponding to received alphanumeric characters) and alphanumeric characters It may combine both the media items of the most popular and / or largest clusters associated. For example, while most users may prefer to list movies that feature "Tom Cruise" when "Cruise" is entered into the search field, most users will see the "Cruises" You might prefer movies that feature.

User device 660 includes two clusters (e.g., cluster 664 and cluster 666). The media guidance application may have created to display cluster 664 and cluster 666 in response to the user selecting "Cruise Deals" from cluster 636. [ For example, in response to the user selecting "cruise deals" from cluster 636, alphanumeric characters in search field 662 may have been updated. Additionally or alternatively, clusters 664 and 666 and media items presented in clusters 664 and 666 are updated.

For example, the criteria associated with cluster 664 is now the location of cruises, while the criteria for cluster 666 are now cruise dials at the location selected in cluster 664. Further, user interaction in the cluster 664 (e.g., scrolling through the media items) may cause the media guidance application to update and / or modify media items in the cluster 666. For example, user selection of "Bahamas" in cluster 664 may cause the media guidance application to generate cruises located in Bahamas in cluster 666 for display.

Finally, user device 690 represents the clusters created for use by the media guidance application upon user selection of "6 Day Aruba " For example, in response to user selection, the content of cluster 666 has moved to a more prominent location, the content of cluster 664 has been removed, and the cluster 696 has been created for display. The criteria of cluster 696 may be related to the prices and providers of six-day cruises at Aruba, as indicated by "6 Day Aruba" highlighted in cluster 694. [

Figure 7 illustrates exemplary embodiments of user devices used to select media items in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the user devices (e.g., user devices 700, 730, and 760) may be associated with a point of view (e.g., as discussed with respect to FIG. 8) Lt; / RTI > may be used to determine current brain activity as discussed with respect to Fig. For example, user devices (e.g., user devices 700, 730, and 760) may communicate with other user devices (e.g., user device 500 (FIG. 5)) to generate one or more clusters for display You can cooperate.

A user device (e.g., a media guide application is implemented and / or a media guide application is communicating) may be made in the form of headwear. For example, the user device 700 is made as a headset, the user device 730 is made as a hat / helmet, and the user device 760 is made as glasses. A user device configured to monitor a user's brain activity, or otherwise select, navigate, or provide information about a cluster, to determine a user's gaze point as described herein, It should be noted that it may be created. Moreover, in some embodiments, the user device may not be created as headwear, but instead may determine the user's point of gaze, monitor the user's brain activity, or otherwise select information about the cluster , ≪ / RTI > navigation, or any other device capable of providing.

In some embodiments, the user devices 700, 730, and 760 may monitor the user's eye contact (e.g., as discussed with respect to FIG. 8) (e.g., control circuitry 304 (E. G., Communicating with < / RTI > The sub-components may include lenses, light sources, or other features that may be used to determine whether a user is making an eye contact.

In some embodiments, the user devices 700, 730, and 760 may monitor brain activity on one or more regions of the brain (e.g., as discussed with respect to FIG. 9) 304) (Figure 3)). ≪ / RTI > The sub-components may be electrodes or other components that may be attached to various portions (e.g., portions 902, 904, 906, and 908 (Figure 9)) of a user (e.g., user 900 And may include features. Moreover, in some embodiments, the sub-components may be expanded and / or contracted during various modes of the user device to accommodate the comfort of the user.

In some embodiments, user devices 700, 730, and 760 may be battery-powered to provide additional mobility to the user. Furthermore, user devices 700, 730, and 760 include multiple modes, each mode corresponding to different power consumption levels and / or sensitivity levels.

8 illustrates an exemplary system form for determining a user's gazing point in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 8 illustrates an eye contact detection component 800 that may be used to identify a user's gazing point (e.g., actuating user device 500 (Fig. 5)) to determine whether a user is currently viewing a particular cluster, / RTI > The eye contact detection component 800 includes a processor 802, a light source 804, and an optical sensor 806. The light source 804 carries light reaching at least one eye of the user, and the optical sensor 806 is directed to the user to sense the reflected light. The optical sensor 806 transmits the collected data to the processor 802 and, based on the data received from the optical sensor 806, the processor 802 determines the user's gaze point.

In some embodiments, the eye contact detection component 800 is configured to determine a single user's gazing point. In other embodiments, the eye contact detection component 800 may determine gazing points for a plurality of users. The eye contact detection component 800 may identify multiple users of the user device (e.g., user device 500 (FIG. 5)).

The processor 802 may be integrated into a single device with one or more light sources 804 and one or more optical sensors 806. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more light sources 804 and the one or more optical sensors 806 may be separately housed from the processor 802 and may be in wireless or wireline communication with the processor 802. One or more of the processors 802, light sources 804, and light sensors 806 may be integrated into the user equipment device 300 (FIG. 3).

The processor 802 may be similar to the processing circuitry 306 described above (Figure 3). In some embodiments, the processor 802 may be the processing circuitry 306 (FIG. 3), which is in communication with the light source 804 and the optical sensor 806. In other embodiments, the processor 802 may be separate from, but optionally in communication with, the processing circuitry 306 (Fig. 3).

Light source 804 transmits light to one or both eyes of one or more users. Light source 804 may emit, for example, infrared (IR) light, near-infrared light, or visible light. The light emitted by the light source 804 may be collimated or non-collimated. The light is reflected from the user ' s eyes and is reflected, for example, from the outer surface of the cornea (i.e., the first Purkinje image), from the inner surface of the cornea (i.e., the second Purkinje image) (I.e., a fourth Furukini image) from the outer (front) surface of the lens (i.e., the third Furukini image) and / or from the inner (back) surface of the lens.

The optical sensor 806 collects visual information of one or both eyes of one or more users, such as an image or a series of images. The optical sensor 806 transmits the collected image (s) to the processor 802, which processes the received image (s) so that one or both of one or more of the users can receive the glints in the eyes Reflection) and / or other reflections. The processor 802 may also determine the location of the center of the pupil of one or both of the users. For each eye, the processor 802 may compare the position of the pupil with the position of glint and / or other reflections to estimate the gazing point. The processor 802 also stores information describing the location of one or more light sources 804 and / or the location of one or more light sensors 806 relative to the display (e.g., display 312 (FIG. 3) Or may be obtained. Using this information, the processor 802 may determine the point of presence of the user on the display (e.g., display 312 (Figure 3) or on a particular cluster, or the processor 802 may determine whether the user's gaze point is displayed , Display 312 (Fig. 3)). ≪ / RTI >

In some embodiments, the eye contact detection component 800 performs best if the position of the user's head is fixed or relatively stable. In other embodiments, the eye contact detection component 800 is configured to take into account the user ' s head movement allowing the user a more natural viewing experience than the user ' s head being fixed at a particular position.

In some embodiments that consider a user's head movement, the eye contact detection component 800 includes two or more optical sensors 806. For example, two cameras may be arranged to form a stereo vision system for acquiring a 3D position of the user's eyes or eyes; This allows the processor 802 to compensate for head movement when determining the user's gaze point. The two or more optical sensors 806 may be part of a single unit or may be separate units. For example, the user equipment device 300 (FIG. 3) may include two cameras used as the optical sensors 806, or may include an eye contact detection (not shown) in communication with the user equipment device 300 The component 800 may include two optical sensors 806. 3) and eye contact detection component 800 may each include an optical sensor and processor 802 may be coupled to user equipment device 300 (FIG. 3) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 800 < / RTI > The processor 802 receives data identifying a location of the optical sensor 806 relative to the display (e.g., display 312 (FIG. 3)) and / or relative to each other and uses this information to determine the point of gaze It is possible.

In other embodiments that consider a user's head movement, the eye contact detection component 800 includes two or more light sources for generating a plurality of glints. For example, two light sources 804 may produce glints at different locations of the eye; Having information about the two glints allows the processor to determine the 3D position of the user's eyes or eyes, allowing the processor 802 to compensate for head movement. The processor 802 also receives data identifying the location of the light sources 804 relative to the display (e.g., the display 312 (FIG. 3)) and / or with respect to each other, You can also use it.

In some embodiments, other types of eye contact detection components that do not utilize a light source may be used. For example, optical sensor 806 and processor 802 may track other features of the user's eye, such as retinal blood vessels or other features on or within the user's eye, You can follow them as your eyes turn. Any other equipment or method for determining the gaze point (s) of one or more users not discussed above may be used in addition to or instead of the embodiments described above of the eye contact detection component 800. [

It should be noted, however, that the eye contact detection component 800 is a type of component that may be integrated into or otherwise accessible to the control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3) or media application. Other types of components that may create other types of data (e.g., video, audio, textual, etc.) are well within the boundaries of the present disclosure.

Figure 9 illustrates the user's brain regions and user representations associated with monitoring brain activity. For example, in some embodiments, the media guidance application may be implemented on (or communicate with) a user device (e.g., user device 700 (FIG. 7)) that monitors a user's brain activity have. The user device may reside on the user's head and may include components (or sub-components) for testing different areas of the user ' s scalp.

It should be noted that although Fig. 9 discusses performing functions based on the user ' s brain activity, the media guidance application may perform functions based on any biometric result. As used herein, "biometric results" refers to distinct, measurable characteristics used to label and describe a user's psychological or physiological condition.

Biometric results that may be received, managed, monitored, and / or shared by the media guide application may include information about a person's mental focus level including emotional state, emotional state, (S), heart rate, blood pressure, fingerprint, body mass index (BMI), glucose level, face description, and the like, of the user, Such as DNA, palm print, hand geometry, iris, retina, odor / scent, and / or any other mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions, And / or shape, the user's organs, and the physiological characteristics associated with the cells in which they are constructed.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine the psychological or physiological state of the user based on the one or more biometric measurements, and may use that determination to trigger the performance of the media guide application operation. For example, the media guidance application may determine the user's current mood based on the user's heart rate, sleep level, or current brain activity. In another example, the media guidance application may determine the user's concentration level based on current brain activity, eye contact, and the like. Systems and methods for determining user moods, concentration levels, and other characteristics based on brain activity and / or other biometric measurements are disclosed in Klappert et al., U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 038,158; U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 038,046, filed September 26, 2013, by Klappert et al; U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 038,171, filed September 26, 2013, by Klappert et al; U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 038,257, filed September 26, 2013, by Klappert et al; United States Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 037,984, filed September 26, 2013, by Klappert et al .; And U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 038,044, filed September 26, 2013, by Klappert et al., All of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In some embodiments, monitoring biometric data may include monitoring a user ' s brain activity. For example, the nature of the brain activity may be mapped such that detection of such characteristics triggers a particular media guide application operation. For example, the media guidance application may determine whether a particular brain condition occurs, such as a user acquiring a certain mood, a particular mental concentration level, a range of brain activity frequencies that exceed a threshold level, or a particular amplitude with any one frequency band, The user may be monitored to determine whether or not it is. When such a brain condition is detected, the media guidance application may instruct the user device to perform a specific media guidance application operation that has been mapped to the detected brain condition.

For example, by monitoring a user's particular brain activity and / or a particular area of the brain, the media guidance application may determine whether the user selects one or more clusters, scrolls, or otherwise interacts. Moreover, the media guidance application may interpret the measured brain activity to identify the search items and / or to display one cluster more prominently than the other cluster.

For example, the media guidance application may determine that the user's gaze point is currently fixed on a particular one of the plurality of displayed clusters. Furthermore, the media guidance application may detect brain activity indicating that the user is currently excited. Therefore, the media guidance application may determine that the user prefers a cluster in which the user's gaze point is fixed.

The scalp of the user 900 includes a first portion 902, a second portion 904, a third portion 906, and a fourth portion 908, as shown in FIG. In some embodiments, each of the first portion 902, the second portion 904, the third portion 906, and the fourth portion 908 may correspond to different regions of the brain 910. For example, in some embodiments, the first portion 902 may correspond to the frontal lobe 912, the second portion 904 may correspond to the parietal lobe 914, the third portion 906, May correspond to the occipital lobe 916, and the fourth part 908 may correspond to the temporal lobe 918. [

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may perform a media guide application operation (e.g., selecting a search item, scrolling an interactive dial, etc.) in response to brain activity detected in a particular region of the user's brain. For example, the media guidance application may monitor the user's brain activity in portion 902 (e.g., via user device 700 (FIG. 7)) and determine brain activity associated with frontal lobe 912. The media guidance application then cross-references the brain activity detected in the portion 902 with the database associated with measurements of brain activity to determine if the detected brain activity at portion 902 corresponds to a particular media guide application operation You may. Alternatively or additionally, the media guidance application may include a database associated with the user ' s feelings to determine if the detected brain activity in the portion 902 corresponds to a particular emotion, You can also refer to it. For example, if the detected brain activity corresponds to a "happy" emotion, the media guidance application determines that the cluster associated with the emotion (e.g., the cluster currently associated with the emotion, Cluster) may be determined. The media guidance application then performs one or more functions based on associating the determined emotion with the cluster (e.g., graphically highlighting the cluster, re-caching the cluster to a more prominent position, increasing the size of the cluster , Increasing the number of media items in the cluster, etc.).

Figure 10 is a flow diagram of exemplary steps for determining the size of a cluster based on an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the process 1000 or any of its steps may be performed on, or provided by, any of the devices shown in Figures 3-4. For example, the process 1000 may be implemented as directed by a media guidance application implemented on the user equipment 402, 404, and / or 406 (FIG. 4) to determine the size of the cluster based on the electronic device May be executed by the control circuit portion 304 (Fig. 3). In addition, one or more steps of process 1000 may be integrated into or combined with one or more steps of any other process or embodiment.

At step 1002, the media guide application receives an alphanumeric character sequence. For example, the media guidance application may receive a plurality of user inputs, each corresponding to a particular character in a word, via a user input interface 310 (FIG. 3), for example. For example, as discussed with respect to FIG. 5, the media guidance application may receive alphanumeric characters "t "," o ", and "m" (e.g., corresponding to the word / have.

In step 1004, the media guide application determines an electronic device for presenting the received sequence of alphanumeric characters. For example, the media guidance application may determine whether the electronic device is a smartphone, a television, a tablet, and the like. For example, the media guidance application may determine whether the received alphanumeric sequence of characters is being presented on user device 500 (FIG. 5) or user device 516 (FIG. 5).

In step 1006, as each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received, the media guide application generates a cluster for display on the basis of the received alphanumeric character sequence, wherein the interactive dial-interactive dial includes the media item. For example, the media guidance application may create a scrollable cluster that features one or more media lists corresponding to alphanumeric characters (e.g., letters) in a search item (e.g., the name of the actor). Moreover, the media items in the cluster and / or cluster may change as additional alphanumeric characters of the sequence are received.

In step 1008, the media guidance application may determine the size of the cluster based on the electronic device as each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received. For example, the size of the cluster may differ depending on whether the cluster is presented on a smartphone or a television. For example, the size of a first cluster (e.g., cluster 506 (Figure 5)) on a first user device (e.g., user device 500 (Figure 5) (E.g., the dimensions of the clusters as shown on the display screen, the size of the clusters based on the other clusters on the display screen, and the like) may be stored in a second cluster (e.g., Cluster 520 (FIG. 5)).

It is contemplated that the steps or descriptions of Figure 10 may be used with any other embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, the steps and descriptions described with respect to FIG. 10 may be performed in alternative orders or in parallel with additional purposes of the disclosure. For example, each of these steps may be performed in any order, or in parallel, or substantially concurrently, to reduce the delay or increase the speed of the system or method. Moreover, any of the devices or equipment discussed with reference to Figs. 3-4 may be used to perform one or more of the steps in Fig.

11 is a flow diagram of exemplary steps for updating a cluster based on received alphanumeric characters in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that process 1100 or any of its steps may be performed on, or provided by, any of the devices shown in FIGS. 3-4. For example, the process 1100 may be performed as indicated by the media guidance application implemented on the user equipment 402, 404, and / or 406 (FIG. 4) to update the cluster based on the received alphanumeric characters May be executed by the control circuit portion 304 (Fig. 3). In addition, one or more steps of process 1100 may be integrated into or combined with one or more steps of any other process or embodiment.

In step 1102, the media guidance application receives alphanumeric characters. For example, the media guidance application may provide one or more user inputs (e.g., via the user input interface 310 (FIG. 3)) representing characters, numbers, and / or symbols corresponding to the media content the user desires to receive, . For example, the media guidance application may receive one or more user inputs that fill a search field (e.g., search field 602 (FIG. 6)).

At step 1104, the media guidance application generates a cluster of media items (e.g., on display 312 (FIG. 3)) for display in the interactive dial. For example, the media guidance application may create cluster 606 (FIG. 6) for display. The cluster may include criteria for media items based on received alphanumeric characters. For example, if the media guidance application receives a search item of "Horror ", the media guidance application may fill the cluster with media content associated with the word" Horror " (e.g., media content of a horror genre). The media guidance application may also allow the user to scroll and / or navigate through the various media items using interactive dialing or other navigation controls (e.g., arrow keys).

At step 1106, the media guidance application determines whether additional alphanumeric characters have been received (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)). For example, the media guidance application may update and / or modify the created clusters and / or media items in the cluster in response to receipt of alphanumeric characters. Thus, the media guidance application may determine whether the alphanumeric characters used based on cluster criteria are the most recent. If additional alphanumeric characters have been received, the media guidance application proceeds to step 1108. If no additional alphanumeric characters have been received, the media guidance application proceeds to step 1110.

At step 1108, the media guide application updates the cluster of media items in the interactive dial based on additional characters before returning to step 1106. [ For example, the media guidance application may include a database (e.g., located at any location accessible through storage 308 (FIG. 3) and / or communication network 414 (FIG. 4) Cross-referencing a combination of alphanumeric characters and any previously received alphanumeric characters to determine media items corresponding to the combination. For example, the media guidance application may enter the association (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) into the database, and the database may output the media items corresponding to the association.

In step 1110, the media guidance application determines whether a selection of a media item has been received. For example, in addition to receiving alphanumeric characters, the media guidance application may receive a selection of the media item (e.g., via the user input interface 310 (FIG. 3)). The selection of a media item may modify the criteria of one or more clusters. If a selection of a media item has been received, the media guidance application returns to step 1104. If no selection of a media item has been received, the media guidance application proceeds to step 1112.

At step 1112, the media guidance application updates (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 4)) the clusters of media items in the interactive dial based on the selection before returning to step 1106. For example, as discussed with respect to FIG. 6, the media guidance application may include criteria for one or more clusters based on both user selections of media items in clusters created for receiving and displaying alphanumeric characters You can decide. In some embodiments, the media guidance application may create a cluster representing a category of media content, and each media item in the cluster may represent a sub-category of media content. It should be noted that clusters and media items may or may not have a hierarchical structure, and that the embodiments discussed herein may have numerous types of structures.

It is contemplated that the steps or descriptions of Figure 11 may be used with any other embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, the steps and descriptions described with reference to Fig. 11 may be performed in alternative orders or in parallel with additional purposes of the present disclosure. For example, each of these steps may be performed in any order, or in parallel, or substantially concurrently, to reduce the delay or increase the speed of the system or method. Moreover, any of the devices or equipment discussed with reference to Figs. 3-4 may be used to perform one or more of the steps in Fig.

Figure 12 is a flow diagram of exemplary steps for creating clusters based on ranking in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that process 1200 or any of its steps may be performed on, or provided by, any of the devices shown in Figures 3-4. For example, the process 1200 may be performed by a media guide application implemented on a user equipment 402, 404, and / or 406 (Figure 4) to generate clusters for display based on ranking As well as by control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3). In addition, one or more steps of the process 1200 may be integrated into or combined with one or more steps of any other process or embodiment.

In step 1202, the media guide application receives an alphanumeric character sequence. For example, the media guidance application may provide one or more user inputs (e.g., via the user input interface 310 (FIG. 3)) representing characters, numbers, and / or symbols corresponding to the media content the user desires to receive, . For example, the media guidance application may receive one or more user inputs that fill a search field (e.g., search field 602 (FIG. 6)).

In step 1204, as each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received (e.g., via user input interface 310 (FIG. 3)), the media guidance application combines alphanumeric characters and previously received alphanumeric characters of the sequence. For example, the media guidance application may update media items in any displayed clusters and / or clusters as additional alphanumeric characters are received.

In step 1206, the media guidance application cross-references the association and database (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) to determine a group of media items corresponding to the combination. For example, the media guidance application may include a database (e.g., located at any location accessible through storage 308 (FIG. 3) and / or communication network 414 (FIG. 4) Cross-referencing a combination of alphanumeric characters and any previously received alphanumeric characters to determine media items corresponding to the combination. For example, the media guidance application may enter the association (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) into the database, and the database may output the media items corresponding to the association.

In step 1208, the media guidance application determines a first plurality of clusters between the media items in the media item group. For example, the media guidance application may determine one or more clusters to which each media item corresponding to the combination belongs. For example, the media guidance application may determine a group of media items corresponding to the combination and divide the media items into overlapping or non-overlapping categories.

At step 1210, the media guidance application may determine (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) each cluster of the first plurality of clusters based on the number of media items in the media item group corresponding to that cluster ). For example, the media guidance application may rank clusters based on the number of media items in the cluster. In such cases, the maximum cluster of the plurality of clusters may be the highest ranked. In another example, the media guidance application may rank the clusters based on the frequency with which the media items in the cluster are selected. In such cases, clusters containing the most frequently selected media items may be in a higher order.

In step 1212, the media guidance application scans the first one of the first plurality of clusters (e.g., cluster 604 (Figure 6)) in a first interactive dial on the display screen based on the ranking, (E.g., on display 312) a second cluster of the first plurality of clusters (e.g., cluster 606 (Figure 6)).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may rank each of the plurality of clusters based on the number of media items in the group of media items corresponding to that cluster. For example, a first cluster (e.g., corresponding to media items filtering a search item in a title) comprising five media items may be associated with a second cluster (e.g., a cast and / ≪ / RTI > corresponding to the media items that feature the search item in the search query). Based on the ranking, the media guidance application may generate a first one of the plurality of clusters in the first interactive dial and a second one of the plurality of clusters in the second interactive dial on the display screen for display have. For example, the media guidance application may be more prominently positioned, sized, and / or graphically highlighted to create a higher ranking cluster in the interactive dial for display.

It is contemplated that the steps or descriptions of FIG. 12 may be used in conjunction with any other embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, the steps and descriptions described with respect to FIG. 12 may be made in alternate sequences or in parallel with additional purposes of the present disclosure. For example, each of these steps may be performed in any order, or in parallel, or substantially concurrently, to reduce the delay or increase the speed of the system or method. Moreover, any of the devices or equipment discussed with reference to Figs. 3-4 may be used to perform one or more of the steps in Fig.

The embodiments described above of this disclosure are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and the disclosure is limited only by the following claims. Moreover, the features and limitations set forth in any one embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment herein, and the flowcharts or examples relating to one embodiment may be applied in any suitable manner It should be noted that they may be combined, done in different orders, or may be done in parallel. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may be performed in real time. It should also be noted that the systems and / or methods described above may be applied to other systems and / or methods, or may be used according to such other systems and / or methods.

Claims (50)

CLAIMS 1. A method for generating cluster-based search results,
Receiving an alphanumeric character sequence;
Determining an electronic device for presenting the received sequence of alphanumeric characters; And
As each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received,
Generating a first cluster for display on a first interactive dial based on the received alphanumeric character sequence, the first interactive dial comprising a media item; And
Determining a size of the first cluster based on the electronic device
Based search results. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 13 > The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a graphic associated with the media item for display. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interactive dial is updated as each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received. The method according to claim 1,
Combining each alphanumeric character of the sequence with previously received alphanumeric characters of the sequence;
Cross-referencing the combination and the database to identify a group of media items corresponding to the combination;
Determining a plurality of clusters between media items in the media item group;
Ranking each of the plurality of clusters based on a number of media items in the media item group corresponding to the cluster; And
Generating, based on the ranking, a first one of the plurality of clusters in the first interactive dial and a second one of the plurality of clusters in a second interactive dial on the display screen for display step
Based search results. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 17 > 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining a location for the first interactive dial and the second interactive dial based on the ranking. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising graphically highlighting the first interactive dial versus the second interactive dial in response to determining that the first cluster corresponds to a greater number of media items than the second cluster Based search results. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating, for display, a third interactive dial replacing the first interactive dial on the display screen in response to receiving a user selection Way. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating a third interactive dial for display at the same time as the first interactive dial in response to receiving a user selection. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alphanumeric characters of the sequence are received on different electronic devices. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each alphanumeric character of the received sequence is determined based on a user ' s brain activity. CLAIMS 1. A system for generating cluster based search results,
And a control circuit section,
Wherein the control circuit unit includes:
To receive alphanumeric character sequences;
Determine an electronic device for presenting the received sequence of alphanumeric characters; And
As each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received,
On the display screen, to generate a first cluster for display on a first interactive dial based on the received alphanumeric character sequence, the first interactive dial comprising a media item; And
Determining a size of the first cluster based on the electronic device
Wherein the search engine is configured to generate cluster based search results. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate graphics for display associated with the media item. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first interactive dial is updated as each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received. 12. The control circuit according to claim 11,
Combine each alphanumeric character of the sequence with previously received alphanumeric characters of the sequence;
Cross-referencing the association and the database to identify a group of media items corresponding to the combination;
Determine a plurality of clusters between media items in the media item group;
Rank each of the plurality of clusters based on a number of media items in the media item group corresponding to the cluster; And
And based on the ranking, generate a first one of the plurality of clusters in the first interactive dial on the display screen and a second one of the plurality of clusters in the second interactive dial for display
Wherein the search engine is configured to generate cluster based search results. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine a location for the first interactive dial and the second interactive dial based on the ranking. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to compare the first interactive dial to the second interactive dial in response to determining that the first cluster corresponds to a greater number of media items than the second cluster. Based search results. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 22 > 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate, for display, a third interactive dial replacing the first interactive dial on the display screen in response to receiving a user selection. A system for generating search results. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate a cluster-based search results for display for a display in response to receiving a user selection, the third interactive dial concurrently with the first interactive dial . 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the alphanumeric characters of the sequence are received on different electronic devices. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein each alphanumeric character in the received sequence is determined based on a user ' s brain activity. CLAIMS 1. A system for generating cluster based search results,
Means for receiving an alphanumeric character sequence;
Means for determining an electronic device for presenting the received sequence of alphanumeric characters; And
As each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received,
Means for generating a first cluster for display in a first interactive dial based on the received alphanumeric character sequence, the first interactive dial comprising a media item; And
Means for determining a size of the first cluster based on the electronic device
Based search results. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 21 > 22. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for generating graphics associated with the media item for display. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first interactive dial is updated as each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received. 22. The method of claim 21,
Means for combining each alphanumeric character of the sequence with previously received alphanumeric characters of the sequence;
Means for cross-referencing the combination and the database to identify a group of media items corresponding to the combination;
Means for determining a plurality of clusters between media items in the media item group;
Means for ranking each of the plurality of clusters based on a number of media items in the media item group corresponding to the cluster; And
Generating, based on the ranking, a first one of the plurality of clusters in the first interactive dial and a second one of the plurality of clusters in a second interactive dial on the display screen for display Way
Based search results. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 21 > 25. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for determining a location for the first interactive dial and the second interactive dial based on the ranking. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising means for graphically highlighting the first interactive dial as opposed to the second interactive dial in response to determining that the first cluster corresponds to a greater number of media items than the second cluster Based search results. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 13 > 25. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for generating, for display, a third interactive dial replacing the first interactive dial on the display screen in response to receiving a user selection system. 25. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for generating a third interactive dial for display in response to receiving the user selection in synchronism with the first interactive dial. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the alphanumeric characters of the sequence are received on different electronic devices. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein each alphanumeric character of the received sequence is determined based on a user ' s brain activity. CLAIMS 1. A method for generating cluster-based search results,
Receiving an alphanumeric character sequence using a control circuitry;
Using the control circuitry, determining an electronic device for presenting the received sequence of alphanumeric characters; And
As each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received,
Using the control circuitry to generate a first cluster on the display screen for display based on the received sequence of alphanumeric characters, wherein the first cluster comprises a first interactive dial, the first interactive dial comprises a media item ; And
Determining the size of the first cluster based on the electronic device using the control circuitry
Based search results. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 13 > 32. The method of claim 31, further comprising generating a graphic associated with the media item for display. 33. The method of claim 31 or 32, wherein the first interactive dial is updated as each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received. 34. The method according to any one of claims 31 to 33,
Combining each alphanumeric character of the sequence with previously received alphanumeric characters of the sequence;
Cross-referencing the combination and the database to identify a group of media items corresponding to the combination;
Determining a plurality of clusters between media items in the media item group;
Ranking each of the plurality of clusters based on a number of media items in the media item group corresponding to the cluster; And
Generating, based on the ranking, a first one of the plurality of clusters in the first interactive dial and a second one of the plurality of clusters in a second interactive dial on the display screen for display step
Based search results. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 17 > 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising determining a location for the first interactive dial and the second interactive dial based on the ranking. 36. The method of claim 34 or 35, further comprising: graphically emphasizing the first interactive dial relative to the second interactive dial in response to determining that the first cluster corresponds to a greater number of media items than the second cluster. Further comprising the steps of: generating cluster-based search results. 37. The method of any one of claims 34-36, further comprising generating a third interactive dial for display for replacing the first interactive dial on the display screen in response to receiving a user selection , And generating cluster based search results. 37. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 37, further comprising generating a third interactive dial for display in response to receiving the user selection in parallel with the first interactive dial, How to create. 39. The method of any one of claims 31 to 38, wherein the alphanumeric characters of the sequence are received on different electronic devices. 40. The method of any one of claims 31 to 39, wherein each alphanumeric character of the received sequence is determined based on a user ' s brain activity. 17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon instructions for generating cluster based search results,
The instructions,
Instructions for receiving an alphanumeric character sequence;
Instructions for determining an electronic device for presenting the received sequence of alphanumeric characters; And
As each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received,
Instructions for generating a first cluster for display at a first interactive dial based on the received sequence of alphanumeric characters, the first interactive dial comprising a media item; And
Instructions for determining a size of the first cluster based on the electronic device,
≪ / RTI > 32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, further comprising instructions for generating a graphic associated with the media item for display. 32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the first interactive dial is updated as each alphanumeric character of the sequence is received. 32. The method of claim 31,
Instructions for combining each alphanumeric character of the sequence with previously received alphanumeric characters of the sequence;
Instructions for cross-referencing the combination and the database to identify a group of media items corresponding to the combination;
Instructions for determining a plurality of clusters between media items in the media item group;
Instructions for ranking each of the plurality of clusters based on a number of media items in the media item group corresponding to the cluster; And
Generating a second one of the plurality of clusters in the first interactive dial and a second one of the plurality of clusters in the first interactive dial on the display screen based on the ranking; Commands
≪ / RTI > 35. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions for determining a location for the first interactive dial and the second interactive dial based on the ranking. 35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions for graphically highlighting the first interactive dial versus the second interactive dial in response to determining that the first cluster corresponds to a greater number of media items than the second cluster ≪ / RTI > further comprising a computer readable medium. 35. The computer readable medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions for generating, for display, a third interactive dial replacing the first interactive dial on the display screen in response to receiving a user selection, . 35. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 34, further comprising instructions for generating a third interactive dial for display in response to receiving the user selection at the same time as the first interactive dial. 32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the alphanumeric characters of the sequence are received on different electronic devices. 32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein each alphanumeric character of the received sequence is determined based on a user ' s brain activity.

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